Summary
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) are valued as inorganic antibacterial agents, and combining them with biodegradable polyester nanofibres offers a route to antimicrobial mats for packaging and biomedical use. This study reports the morphological, mechanical and antibacterial evaluation of nanocomposite mats based on poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) nanofibres containing different concentrations of nano-ZnO. Two fabrication strategies are compared: electrospinning of polymer solutions in which the ZnO is dispersed, and a combined electrospinning/electrospraying approach that deposits the nanoparticles alongside the fibres. The authors examine how ZnO content and the deposition method affect fibre morphology, the mechanical performance of the mats and their activity against bacteria. The results show that incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into PDLLA nanofibre mats yields materials with useful antibacterial behaviour, pointing to their potential as active, biodegradable nanocomposite films.